Minnesota Historical Society displays moon rocks (w/ video)

A few tiny pieces of the moon went on display this month at the Minnesota History Center, after languishing for years in a dusty government display case.

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July of 1969 they scooped up almost 50 pounds of rocky soil for research. President Richard Nixon presented fragments to all 50 states and some foreign leaders. Over the years, Minnesota lost track of its pieces of the moon, until they inexplicably turned up in 2004 in a display case of old memorabilia on the fourth floor of the Veterans Services Building near the state Capitol.

The Minnesota National Guard last year donated the fragments to the Historical Society, which has put them on display through Feb. 3 in its first-floor lobby at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

Just don't expect a big white rock. The fragments look like five broken peppercorns, embedded in a clear Lucite orb and mounted on a plaque. They're displayed next to a similar souvenir from the final Apollo 17 moon landing, which the society already had in its possession.